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Sausage and Pesto Calzones
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5:30 Challenge / 5 ingredients / 30 minutes
Calzones -- stuffed pizzas -- are easy to prepare using store-bought refrigerated pizza dough and fillings that don’t need precooking. Cooked chicken sausages, such as those by Aidells (sold four to a 12-ounce pack), are available in many varieties. Choose the one that appeals most to you. Alternatively, use chopped cooked chicken or your favorite smoked sausage. You can add ingredients to the filling; just resist the urge to overstuff.
For a Mediterranean feel, I tried this with Aidells Organic Spinach and Feta Sausages. If desired, sprinkle a little extra cheese on top about 1 minute before the end of baking.
-- Jeanne Besser
Hands on time: Total time: 30 minutes Serves: 4
Ingredients:
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1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza dough
4 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
1 cup shredded Italian blend or mozzarella cheese
6 to 8 ounces fully cooked smoked chicken or other smoked sausages, sliced
1/2 roasted red pepper, patted dry and chopped or fresh green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Unroll dough on a lightly oiled 10-by-15-inch baking sheet. Starting at the center, press out dough with your hands to form a 14-by-8-inch rectangle. Cut into four 7-by- 4-inch rectangles and separate slightly. Spoon 1 tablespoon pesto on each rectangle, to within 1 inch of the crusts’ edges. Top each with 1/4 cup cheese. Divide sausage and red peppers evenly on top. Fold the dough over the filling to form a triangle. Press the edges securely and pinch to seal. Prick the tops with a fork.
Separate calzones slightly, if needed. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, or until golden brown.
Unroll dough on a lightly oiled 10-by-15-inch baking sheet. Starting at the center, press out dough with your hands to form a 14-by-8-inch rectangle. Cut into four 7-by- 4-inch rectangles and separate slightly. Spoon 1 tablespoon pesto on each rectangle, to within 1 inch of the crusts’ edges. Top each with 1/4 cup cheese. Divide sausage and red peppers evenly on top. Fold the dough over the filling to form a triangle. Press the edges securely and pinch to seal. Prick the tops with a fork.
Separate calzones slightly, if needed. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes:
To make the meal: spinach salad and buttered penne
Take the 5:30 Challenge. If you have a great-tasting main dish recipe that uses no more than five ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less, tell us. (Salt, pepper, water and oil for greasing a pan don't need to be included in the ingredient list.) Send recipes to 5:30 Challenge, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sixth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta GA 30303. Or by e-mail to fivethirty@ajc.com.
Take the 5:30 Challenge. If you have a great-tasting main dish recipe that uses no more than five ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less, tell us. (Salt, pepper, water and oil for greasing a pan don't need to be included in the ingredient list.) Send recipes to 5:30 Challenge, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sixth Floor, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta GA 30303. Or by e-mail to fivethirty@ajc.com.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 568 calories (percent of calories from fat, 49), 23 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 30 grams fat (11 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 1,275 milligrams sodium.
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